The average sports fan spends the winter months getting ready for the holidays, watching basketball or hockey, and just generally going about life. However, I am a psychotic Yankee fan that plans my life around the Yankees schedule, so I spend the winter obsessing over the hot stove and staring at the 2020 schedule waiting for the calendar to turn to March.
In the spirit of 2020, I took a look at five possible Yankee fan road trip ideas on the schedule.
March 26-29Â – @ Baltimore (Oriole Park at Camden Yards)
The only thing better than a Yankees weekend at Camden Yards is opening weekend at Camden Yards! This year, the Yankee slate kicks off in the Charm City on a Thursday. Can’t take off work that day? No problem, the Yanks will play games two and three of the season on Saturday and Sunday, so this trip can work for anyone’s schedule. If you’re a Yankee fan living in the northeast, you’ve undoubtedly heard about what an awesome experience Camden Yards can be.
In addition to having a beautiful park to play in, all of the concessions are about half the price of Yankee Stadium. You can even get a 16 ounce beer for just $7 here! The equivalent of a $150 200 level ticket in the Bronx is around $30, and you can sit pretty much anywhere in the upper deck for $15.
Grab a beer at Pickles Pub before the game and bring in some peanuts or a sausage sandwich from the vendors outside the stadium to save even more money. This place is easy to get to, it’s cheap, and always filled with Yankee fans. Oh yeah, the Yankees went 10-0 here last year, so the chances of seeing a win in person are pretty high.
April 10-12 @ Oakland Athletics (Oakland Coliseum)
It’s true that that the Coliseum is a dump, but it’s also true that San Francisco is an awesome city that definitely qualifies as a vacation destination. Head out to the Bay in early April for the Yankees first west coast swing of the season.
This is a good trip for someone who wants to mix in some non baseball activity. Maybe your girlfriend or wife really wants to get a tour of Alcatraz Island, or you’ve always wanted to see Mission Dolores Park. Basketball season will still be going, so you could even check out the Warriors’ brand new arena and catch an NBA game. Whatever your interests are, there is always something fun to do in San Francisco. The Yankees have to win a game here eventually, right?
June 16-17 @ Pittsburgh Pirates (PNC Park)
The weekday timing of this series is tough, but if you’re going to make a mid-week road trip in 2020 this is the one. PNC Park is absolutely stunning, and the stadium is sure to be filled with Yankee fans considering the geography. The Yankees don’t go to Pittsburgh very often, so this is a limited opportunity to get that classic sunset view of the river and bridge that is constantly circulating on twitter.
July 17-19 @ St. Louis Cardinals (Busch Stadium II)
No team compares to the Yankees, but if any team is in second place, it’s the Cardinals. They have the second most championships behind us, and they also built a modern version of their original stadium like we did. Busch Stadium II has gotten rave reviews, and St. Louis is a classic baseball town. This series actually occurs right after the All-Star break. What better way to kick off the second half than to watch this iconic matchup?
This series figures to have a high level of competition, and the Saturday matchup has already been set as the Fox primetime game of the week. You can also check out the Anheuser-Busch brewery while you’re out there.
August 13-16 @ Chicago White Sox (Field of Dreams and Guaranteed Rate Field)
I couldn’t leave this one off the list! In a bit of a twist, this is a rare three-game weekend series with Friday as the off day. First, head out to the corn fields of Iowa to see the Yankees play on Thursday night at the site of the Field of Dreams movie! At a minimum, this game will be an overflow of baseball nostalgia. I have no idea what Major League Baseball is planning for this day, but the environment is sure to make it a classic. This will be a hot ticket with demand through the roof, and it’s not clear yet how MLB will make tickets available. But with all of the new corporate stadiums named after banks, this is the perfect trip for the baseball purist.
After the Yankees are done in Iowa, they will play on Saturday and Sunday back in Chicago. While you’re in Chicago you can check out the Wrigleyville area on Friday (off-day) and then hit the South Side over the weekend for the last two games of the series. Regardless of whether you go to Iowa or Chicago, this sure to be an exciting weekend for the Yankees.
